The Turmoil Booth Tarkington (best reads .txt) đ
- Author: Booth Tarkington
Book online «The Turmoil Booth Tarkington (best reads .txt) đ». Author Booth Tarkington
âYes,â she said, in a low voice.
He sighed. âIâm glad he didnât. Not,â he added, quicklyâ âânot but what you did just right to send it. You did. You couldnât acted any other way when it came right down to it. There ainât any blame cominâ to youâ âyou were aboveboard all through.â
Mary said, âThank you,â almost in a whisper, and with her head bowed low.
âYouâll have to excuse me for readinâ it. I had to take charge of all his mail and everything; I didnât know the handwritinâ, and I read it allâ âonce I got started.â
âIâm glad you did.â
âWellââ âhe leaned forward as if to riseâ ââI guess thatâs about all. I just thought you ought to have it.â
âThank you for bringing it.â
He looked at her hopefully, as if he thought and wished that she might have something more to say. But she seemed not to be aware of this glance, and sat with her eyes fixed sorrowfully upon the floor.
âWell, I expect I better be gettinâ back to the office,â he said, rising desperately. âI toldâ âI told my partner Iâd be back at two oâclock, and I guess heâll think Iâm a poor business man if he catches me behind time. I got to walk the chalk a mighty straight line these daysâ âwith that fellow keepinâ tabs on me!â
Mary rose with him. âIâve always heard you were the hard driver.â
He guffawed derisively. âMe? Iâm nothinâ to that partner oâ mine. You couldnât guess to save your life how he keeps after me to hold up my end oâ the job. I shouldnât be surprised heâd give me the grand bounce some day, and run the whole circus by himself. You know how he isâ âonce he goes at a thing!â
âNo,â she smiled. âI didnât know you had a partner. Iâd always heardâ ââ
He laughed, looking away from her. âItâs just my way oâ speakinâ oâ that boy oâ mine, Bibbs.â
He stood then, expectant, staring out into the hall with an air of careless geniality. He felt that she certainly must at least say, âHow is Bibbs?â but she said nothing at all, though he waited until the silence became embarrassing.
âWell, I guess I better be gettinâ down there,â he said, at last. âHe might worry.â
âGoodbyeâ âand thank you,â said Mary.
âFor what?â
âFor the letter.â
âOh,â he said, blankly. âYouâre welcome. Goodbye.â
Mary put out her hand. âGoodbye.â
âYouâll have to excuse my left hand,â he said. âI had a little accident to the other one.â
She gave a pitying cry as she saw. âOh, poor Mr. Sheridan!â
âNothinâ at all! Dictate everything nowadays, anyhow.â He laughed jovially. âDid anybody tell you how it happened?â
âI heard you hurt your hand, but noâ ânot just how.â
âIt was this way,â he began, and both, as if unconsciously, sat down again. âYou may not know it, but I used to worry a good deal about the youngest oâ my boysâ âthe one that used to come to see you sometimes, after Jimâ âthat is, I mean Bibbs. Heâs the one I spoke of as my partner; and the truth is thatâs what itâs just about goinâ to amount to, one oâ these daysâ âif his health holds out. Well, you remember, I expect, I had him on a machine over at a plant oâ mine; and sometimes Iâd kind oâ sneak in there and see how he was gettinâ along. Take a doctor with me sometimes, because Bibbs never was so robust, you might say. Ole Doc Gurneyâ âI guess maybe you know him? Tall, thin man; acts sleepyâ ââ
âYes.â
âWell, one day I anâ ole Doc Gurney, we were in there, and I undertook to show Bibbs how to run his machine. He told me to look out, but I wouldnât listen, and I didnât look outâ âand thatâs how I got my hand hurt, tryinâ to show Bibbs how to do something he knew how to do and I didnât. Made me so mad I just wouldnât even admit to myself it was hurtâ âand so, by and by, ole Doc Gurney had to take kind oâ radical measures with me. Heâs a right good doctor, too. Donât you think so, Miss Vertrees?â
âYes.â
âYes, he is so!â Sheridan now had the air of a rambling talker and gossip with all day on his hands. âTake him on Bibbsâs case. I was talkinâ about Bibbsâs case with him this morning. Well, youâd laugh to hear the way ole Gurney talks about that! âCourse he is just as much a friend as he is doctorâ âand he takes as much interest in Bibbs as if he was in the family. He says Bibbs isnât anyways bad off yet; and he thinks he could stand the pace and get fat on it ifâ âwell, this is whatâd made you laugh if youâd been there, Miss Vertreesâ âhonest it would!â He paused to chuckle, and stole a glance at her. She was gazing straight before her at the wall; her lips were parted, andâ âvisiblyâ âshe was breathing heavily and quickly. He feared that she was growing furiously angry; but he had led to what he wanted to say, and he went on, determined now to say it all. He leaned forward and altered his voice to one of confidential friendliness, though in it he still maintained a tone which indicated that ole Doc Gurneyâs opinion was only a joke he shared with her. âYes, sir, you certainly would âaâ laughed! Why, that ole man thinks you got something to do with it. Youâll have to blame it on him, young lady, if it makes you feel like startinâ out to whip somebody! Heâs actually got this theory: he says Bibbs got to gettinâ better while he worked over there at the shop because you kept him cheered up and feelinâ good. And he says if you could manage to just stand him hanginâ around a littleâ âmaybe not much, but just sometimesâ âagain, he believed itâd
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